Advising Handbook

I. What is the Messiah College Philadelphia Campus?

In response to the increasing urbanization of American society, Messiah College pioneered the
Philadelphia Campus in 1968. Messiah College considers the Philadelphia campus, in its unique urban context, as an extension of the main campus. Located in the heart of the fifth-largest city in America, the Philadelphia Campus offers students a singular learning experience that integrates the close family-like community of Messiah and the secular classroom setting found at Temple University with Philadelphia ’s multi-faceted urban environment.

• The Messiah Community:
Messiah’s campus consists of seven large, renovated row houses located on Broad Street, directly across from Temple University. The campus has its own cafeteria, faculty and staff housing, dormitories, library, chapel, classrooms, lounges, T.V . room, laundry facilities, game room, computer lab, and office space for campus staff. Messiah-Philly students also have access to Temple University’s facilities including the new Tuttleman Learning Center, Paley Library, the Student Activities Center, Tomlinson Theater, the Liacourus Center and more. Students attending for specific majors have access to facilities, laboratories, and state-of-the-art equipment that Temple students use for outside class, hands-on development. The Messiah Philadelphia Campus is more than a physical extension of the College. It is also an extension of the College’s mission and identity.

The Philadelphia Campus aspires to enlighten students about diversity and urban issues such as prejudice, racism, and socioeconomic disparity in an attempt to "educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character, and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society.” The College’s foundational values also guide the environmental development in which students live and learn. The small community at the Philadelphia campus seeks to support students and provide a secure atmosphere where students challenge and explore their individual strengths while identifying and appropriately addressing personal weaknesses and prejudices. The faculty and staff at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus encourages students to participate in urban service opportunities. These experiences allow students to incorporate their beliefs into the public sector.

The urban context provides an environment that unveils to students a new understanding of the importance of the person regardless of race, religion, ethnic background or socioeconomic status. Ultimately, students learn to demonstrate acceptance and relate grace to understanding the distinctive individuals and cultures that exist in a pluralistic society.

• Temple University:
Messiah’s unparalleled relationship with Temple University provides students of a small Christian college with the diversity that accompanies a large urban institution. Messiah is the only small Christian institution to establish this very special connection with a major university. Temple’s agreement with Messiah affords students at Messiah’s Philadelphia Campus with all benefits, privileges, accesses and services provided to regular Temple students.

Essentially, Messiah students have “dual citizenship,” that is, they are recognized as full-time students at both institutions. The wide variety of courses offered at Temple University supplement courses available to students at Messiah and provide students with a variety of venues to enrich their academic pursuits including satisfying major/minor requirements, general education requirements, or putting credits toward electives or concentrations in specific majors. The secular classroom setting challenges students to bring their own diversity to the classroom by engaging in classroom discussions that strengthen their beliefs.

• The City of Philadelphia:
It is no secret that students accomplish a major part of the learning process outside the classroom. The city of Philadelphia affords students with a variety of people and places to experience. Students do not live far from the core of Philadelphia’s historical district with three-hundred-year-old brick structures as well as National Parks, and museums that invite students to inquire about our nation’s past and to develop an understanding of the footsteps the United States took in becoming an independent nation. Not only does the city offer interaction with historical landmarks, it also provides students with a wealth of ethnic neighborhoods from the Italian Market to Chinatown. In these sections, students investigate a colorful world that may be dissimilar in appearance and in world-view from their own. Even the architecture of buildings within the city of Philadelphia records the diversity and the process transforming values and perspectives of people living in the United States throughout the twentieth century. Students also have occasions to sample the arts–ballet, opera, orchestra, painting, and sculpture–by attending one of the number of shows on the Avenue of the Arts or visiting one of Philadelphia’s renowned museums. While the city hands students various places to facilitate their own learning, it is the people in these places, rather than the places alone, that open eyes to the distinctive worlds encompassed within the boundaries of one city.

In addition to giving students a chance to put together their own learning experience, the city of Philadelphia is used as a hands-on “learning laboratory” in the classroom to illustrate social injustice. The city is the text and context for developing students’ sensitivities to urban issues. Students discuss various urban problems and issues that they encounter in the city and probe for ways to appropriately respond to those issues.

II. Mission and Purpose

To utilize (North-Central) Philadelphia as a text and context for educating men and women toward maturity of intellect, character, and Christian faith in preparation for lives of urban-oriented service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society.

Purpose Statement

The Mission Statement for the Philadelphia Campus is facilitated through programs and activities designed to address the following objectives.
I. To provide students from Christian colleges, primarily Messiah College, the benefits of a major secular university concurrently with the context of an intimate, Christian , academic environment.
A. Students may complete majors not available at their primary campus.
B. Students may take courses at Temple University for enrichment of their primary campus curriculum.
C. Students attending the Philadelphia campus will have opportunity to continue study in a Christian academic setting through courses taught by Messiah faculty.
D. Students will engage, from a Christian perspective, the disparate world views encountered in these academic contexts.
E. The residential setting provides a unique experience for promoting the students' social
development in the midst of a major urban and academic context.
II. To provide students from Christian colleges, primarily Messiah College, the opportunity to live alongside, learn from, and serve among people in one of America's major urban centers.
A. Students may experience and participate in cultural and ecclesiastical opportunities not
available in suburban and rural environments.
B. Through this experience students may observe at close range the social, political, and religious
challenges facing a large city, and may be encouraged to become involved in seeking
appropriate responses to these opportunities.
C. Through experiences in the urban context, and influenced by campus programs, students will be encouraged to become aware of, reflect on, and respond to contemporary issues of justice
(whether economic, ethnic, racial, or religious).
D. Within the urban context, Messiah College will offer curricular and cocurricular programs
which will intentionally equip students for vocation in an urban society.
III. To provide an entree to Messiah College for ethnically diverse students from the greater Philadelphia area through diverse means. This may possibly include:
A. College-preparatory programs for urban high school students;
B. An urban transitional entry program for early college students.
IV. To provide opportunities for students and faculty from Temple University to engage in academic and faith affirming activities with their peers at Messiah College in Philadelphia.
A. Temple University students may register for classes at the Messiah College campus in Philadelphia.
B. Structures, facilities, and programs will be developed which support both formal and informal
dialogue between members of the Temple and Messiah communities.
V. To provide an academic setting wherein dialogue is fostered concerning important contemporary issues of faith, learning, and living. This may possibly include:
A. Programs designed to foster geographical (urban, suburban, rural) and racial reconciliation;
B. Efforts to promote inter-faith conversation, cooperation, and mutual understanding;
C. Faculty development opportunities, with attention to bringing together conscientious
scholarship, effective pedagogy, and careful theological reflection in the Christian college
classroom
D. Conversation between the Church and the Christian academy for mutual support of the convergence of the spiritual and the intellectual.

-approved by the Community of Educators 5/22/96

III. Who can attend?

Admissions Requirements:
• Almost any student with sophomore status or higher can attend the campus regardless of their major.
• A GPA o f 2.25 or higher is necessary for attendance (this may be waived for special cases.)
• A student must not be on chapel probation in order to attend (this may be waived for special cases.)
• A student must not be on disciplinary probation (this may be waived for special cases).
• Students who attend the Philly Campus must agree to live on-campus, participate in a meal plan, community gatherings, take at least one 3-credit Messiah College course and be a full-time student.

Majors Requiring Attendance:
Several academic programs require some attendance at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus. Among these majors are
• Art education
• Art history
• Journalism
• Physics
• Broadcasting, telecommunications and mass media (BTMM)
• Social work
• Therapeutic recreation/ Recreation
• Theatre (Temple Univeristy is one approved “diversity program” for junior Theatre majors).
• E-marketing/E-commerce
• Entrepreneurship

Students in these majors benefit from a wide range of courses in top-rated Temple programs and interact with faculty recognized in their respective academic and career fields.

Students Attending Philly for Enrichment:
Some students choose to attend the Philadelphia Campus for enjoyment of an exciting and challenging new experience. Many students characterize their time in the city as an eye-opening period of holistic learning. These students enhance their course work and enrich their overall learning development. They benefit from participating in the small, family-like Messiah community, the broad course selection and diversity offered at Temple University, and the numerous career, cultural, and service possibilities within the city of Philadelphia. Some academic programs offer a natural fit for a semester in Philadelphia. For example, the Urban Ministries Concentration in Christian Ministries, the Elementary Education Multi-Urban/Multi-cultural minor, the Film Studies Concentration for Commmunications majors and other majors such as History, Sociology, Psychology, and Communications profit from the urban setting.

Students Attending Philly for Minors:
Just as some majors require attendance at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus, some academic minors require a semester or two at the Philadelphia Campus. Other minors lend themselves to the diverse courses found at Temple. For example, through Temple’s Women’s Studies program, women’s studies minors find an array of courses from which to choose. Minors that require attendance at Philly include:
• African-American Religion and Culture
• Criminal Justice
• Journalism
• Multicultural/Urban education
• Urban Studies

IV.What Kinds of Classes can Students Take?

Students can take general education, major requirements, minor requirements, and electives at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus.

Meeting General Education Requirements
• Messiah College Philadelphia Campus offers four general education courses each semester. Students are expected and required to take at least one course at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus each semester of their attendance (Some exceptions may be granted). The Messiah courses at Philadelphia are designed to help students integrate and process their urban experiences at Temple and in the city in a clear, structured environment that encourages thoughtful discussion. A Messiah professor teaches Bible 200 , Ethics, World-Views, and Christian Beliefs courses. Each of these courses is uniquely tailored to incorporate an urban emphasis to the topic. Professors use the city as the “text and context” for these Messiah courses, that is, the city is a learning resource extension to the classroom . The city is also employed as a focal point to generate discussion about urban themes specific to general education courses.

Meeting General Education at Temple:
Temple University courses also fulfill many Messiah general education requirements. The document “Meeting General Education at Philly” found at the end of this section gives a broad overview of the types of Temple courses accepted to meet general education requirements. Students may pick up a more detailed list of specific courses that fulfill general education in the EpiCenter.

Major/Minor Requirements:
Students that wish to take Temple courses to satisfy requirements for their major or minor may do so with permission from their major or minor advisor.

Internship Opportunities:
The city of Philadelphia offers rich and varied opportunities for students seeking internships. Students discover internships in a wide range of fields including (but not limited to) computer science, business, journalism, history, recreation, education, communication. Students are expected to take initiative in finding internship placements, but should use the Messiah College Internship Office as a resource and guide in making arrangements.

Language/Cross Cultural Requirement:
The Cross-cultural component of the language/culture general education requirement can be met at the Philadelphia Campus in a variety of ways.
• J-term and May term cross-cultural courses are available at the Philadelphia Campus every academic year.
• One-credit Urban American Cultures course offered every semester.
• Students whose majors require them to study at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus for two years automatically have the requirement waived.
• Completion of the Urban Semester Program waives the cross-cultural requirement.

The Urban Semester Program:
A 15 credit, semester-long curriculum, the Urban Semester Program focuses on the issues that today’s urban environments face. Philadelphia is used as a “laboratory” in which students explore these issues
through their individual out-of-classroom activities and a service-related field experience.
This program encourages students to:
• live alongside, learn from, and serve among people in one of America’s major urban centers
• observe at close range the social, political, and religious challenges facing a large city and become involved in seeking appropriate responses.
• become aware of, reflect on and respond to contemporary issues of justice–whether economic, ethnic, racial or religious.

Core Requirement URB310 Urban Field Experience
Temple Electives at least one three-credit course with an urban focus
Messiah Electives at least two three-credit URB courses
One additional Course at least one three-credit URB course from Messiah orone from Temple with an urban focus

The Urban Semester Program gives students significant flexibility and leverage in meeting personal growth and curricular objectives while emphasizing a unified central urban theme. The completion of course sequences in the Urban Semester Program also meets the cross-cultural criteria and also satisfies three-four general education requirements. For example, students may choose two or three Messiah URB courses that will meet general education requirements, but also challenge the student to open themselves to a myriad of diverse world-views and ethnic/racial identities found in the city. Course options allow students to select from World-Views, Bible, Ethics, or Christian Beliefs. The Temple course component, which dictates that students select Temple courses with an urban theme, may also allow students to meet a major or minor requirement or even another general education requirement. For instance, a student with a history minor may take the Temple history course “The Development of the Modern American City” to meet the Temple elective for the Urban Sem ester Program and also to satisfy the call for an upper division history elective for the history minor.
Note: The Urban Semester Program is an excellent option for Elementary Education majors with an Urban/Multi-cultural concentration, Christian Ministries majors with a Urban Ministries concentration, Urban Studies minors, and juniors or seniors who need to complete their general education requirements.

V. Application Process

1. Students apply to the Philadelphia Campus online at http://www.messiah.edu/philly early in the se mester PRIOR to the semester they wish to attend.
2. Once a student applies online, a note or e-mail is sent to the student’s advisor for approval of the student’s application.
3. After an advisor approves a student’s application, the student receives notification confirming an advisor’s approval.
4. The Enrollment Office calls the student to set up an interview time and place.
5. After receiving a final approval letter confiming the student’s admission to the campus, the student will receive registration materials in the mail. Registration commences 3-4 weeks prior to Messiah’s registration period.
6. Recommended application and registration deadlines are posted on the Messiah Philly website at http://www.messiah.edu /philly.
7. Housing information will be sent out after registration.

VI. Advising Information

This section is intended to be a quick reference and valuable resource for advisors with students who are interested in attending the Philadelphia Campus. Direct any questions about the Philadelphia Campus to the EpiCenter, or the Director of Enrollment at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus.

Helping Students Plan Attendance at the Philadelphia Campus

• Start Early: Students must plan to study off-campus early in their college career (first year or sophomore year).
• Reserve General Education Requirements: Since students are expected to take at least one Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus course each semester they attend the Philadelphia Campus, students should reserve at least one or two general education classes to be met at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus (World-Views, Ethics, Bible 200 , Christian Beliefs or Cross-Cultural).
By setting aside requirments to meet in Philly, a student will not overlap two classes that meet one
requirement. Philly majors who spend more than one year at the Philadelphia Campus should reserve more general education courses than an enrichment major spending one or two semesters at the
campus.
• GPA Requirement: Students will need to obtain special permission to attend if their GPA is 2.25 or lower .Students request GPA waiver forms from the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus Enrollment Office or the EpiCenter.
• Disciplinary Probation: Students who are on disciplinary probation are restricted from attending the
Philadelphia Campus unless special arrangements are made. Call the Enrollment Office (ext.7507) for details.
• Chapel Probation: Students will need to obtain special permission to attend if they are on chapel probation.
• Prerequisite Courses: Students whose majors/minors require them to study in Philadelphia should plan to take any prerequisite courses prior to attendance.
• Philadelphia Campus Major Course Sequencing: Advisors of Philadelphia Campus majors should make themselves aware of changes in course sequencing at Temple University.
• Philly Major Schedule Planning: Philly majors should
1)Reserve a few general education courses to take at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus
2)Plan to meet most general education requirements before spending two years at the Philadelphia Campus so they have room in their schedules to take the necessary major/minor classes at Temple.

Helping Students Register for Classes at the Philadelphia Campus

• When does Registration Begin?
Registration for the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus commences before Messiah’s registration process. Students with applications processed and approved will recieve registration materials 3-4 weeks prior to Messiah’s registration process. Prepare yourself to advise these students earlier than other students.
• Finding Temple’s Course Descriptions: A list of Temple’s courses is provided on Temple’s web site
to review courses and course descriptions for specific departments, refer to Temple’s undergraduate bulletin for the current academic year. Temple posts the undergraduate bulletin on its website
Click on “course descpriptions” on the left side of the screen to view a list of departments. Click on the department to view a description.
• Finding Course Schedules: Course schedule s are found at www.temple.edu/tu _courses/.
• Hard copies of Temple Registration Information: For hardcopies of Temple’s course descriptions andcourse schedules, you may send a request to the Enrollment Office at the Philadelphia Cam pus.
• Temple’s Course Ranking System: Temple University’s system for ranking classes differs slightly from Messiah College’s scales. Temple’s scale runs from 0-300 level course. Messiah ranges its courses between 100-400 levels. Thus, a zero class at Temple(e.g. 065) would be comprable to a 100 level course at Messiah (e.g. 165).
• How to find out if a Temple class meets major/minor requirements: In the case of Philadelphia Campus majors, many of the classes they need to take at Temple are listed in the current Messiah College course Catalog. For enrichment majors, advisors should consult with their colleagues and the department chair if they are uncertain if a particular Temple course will meet Messiah requirements. Please put the approval of the Temple course and the Messiah requirement it fulfills in writing for the student and the Enrollment
Office.
• How to find out if a Temple class meets General Education requirements: Packets with Temple classes approved to meet general education requirements are available in the EpiCenter. If a student is still uncertain if a Temple class meets conditions for General Education, consult the registrar.
• Maximum number of credits a student may take: Students may take up to 19 credits at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus without paying extra fees.
• Minimum number of credits a student may take to be full-time: Students must take a total of 12 credits to be considered a full-time student at the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus.
• Special Fees for Temple courses: Some courses at Temple require special fees. Messiah will pay fees up to $150 for students enrolled in these courses. A list of courses requiring special fees appears in Temple’s course schedules catalog.